Exposure to Xenon 133 in the nuclear medicine laboratory.

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Abstract
Exposure of nuclear medicine personnel to 133Xe was examined quantitatively at 3 area hospitals during ventilation-perfusion studies in which the technologists breathed through a specially made Xe-trapping apparatus. The accumulated mean Xe activity varied from hospital to hospital, ranging from 52 nCi (1.92 kBq) to > 5 .mu.Ci (185 kBq [kilobecquerel]) during a typical 20 min lung study. The difference largely depended on the Xe exhaust and trapping systems, which made a 100-fold difference in exposure rates. The air flow and its exchange rate in the room were additional factors contributing to the different exposure rates. Although the patient continued to be a source of Xe contamination throughout the study, the Xe-trapping system, while operational, could exhaust substantial quantities of Xe. The exhaust duct system left little contaminated air in the room, resulting in the least exposure to personnel.